Candida-spit test-lab test-doctor opinion

Ok so an update. I did the spit test below and mine looked exactly like the picture below. Then because I am a scientist and skeptic at heart I had hubby do it and his spit immediately spread out across the surface of the water and then dissolved into the water within 10 minutes or so. Thus hubby was my negative control. I did not get mucous in the cup but I do reckognize that a CF'ers spit could be different perhaps because of CF and not candida. I made an appointment with my doctor and went yesterday, our discussion is below.

Here's a simple test you can do at home to determine whether you have Candida. (ok I have no idea how valid this is I am just reposting from here:http://www.thecandidadiet.com/testingforcandida.htm)


1. When you get up in the morning, and before you brush your teeth, eat or drink anything, fill a glass with bottled water at room temperature.
2. Spit some saliva gently into the glass.
3. Come back every 20 minutes for the next hour and check for some of these tell-tale signs of Candida:

- 'Strings' coming down through the water from the saliva at the top
- Cloudy saliva sitting at the bottom of the glass
- Opaque specks of saliva suspended in the water

My family doctor is a nurse practicioner who also practices in wholistic medicine I am unsure on her background but she always wears a turbans on her head. She was interested in what I had to say and admitted it is HIGHLY plausible I may have to battle candida because of extensive antibiotic and steroid use, throw in my fertility treatments and GERD and you have yourself a perfect recipe for candidiasis. Not saying i hvae it just that I have alot risk factors.

She said we could just try the treatment and see if it made a difference in how I felt or go through the expense of testing, I chose testing. She warned me NOT to change my diet before testing so FYI. She said about 6 years ago the 'fad' was that everyone had candiasis and now the gluten fad is in and just starting up is the histamine sensitivity fad. She talked about some DO's we have in our area she was disapointed with because they seem to follow the fads and 'everyone' will have this, that or the other. This is part of the reason I like her because she seems well balanced between Eastern and Western medicine.

She warned me that the problem with diagnosing alot of inflammation related items among others (think ABPA diagnosis) is that there is a wide range. So essentially if my numbers are sky high (which I think they will be) you can be pretty sure of candida, if they are super low you can pretty much rule it out, anywhere in the middle and its hard to say. One other thing she mentioned is if my numbers for IGg,b,a were previously checked by my CF doctor we could get a good feel for if they had dramatically escalated over time but were still within a high normal range that may be indicative.

SO tomorrow I will get the following tests done: (I added in the mays)

Blood Test

An Anti-Candida Antibodies test. There are 3 antibodies that should be tested to measure your immune system's response to Candida - IgG, IgA, and IgM. High levels of these antibodies MAY indicate that an overgrowth of Candida is present.

Stool Analysis
Your stool is directly analysed for levels of yeast, pathogenic bacteria and friendly bacteria.

Urine Tartaric Acid Test
This test detects tartaric acid - a waste product of Candida yeast overgrowth. An elevated test MAY mean an overgrowth of Candida.

A number of years ago a friend of mine was having alot stomach problems. She cultured H.pylori and despite antibiotics was continuing to have alot of problems. They analyzed her stool and found high levels of yeast and only 2/3 main 'good' bacteria and high acid. They also found she was allergic to sugar and milk. She has been doing a MELY rotational diet for years and does really well.